Health
MONDAY, MAY 20, 2024: FLARING 101
February 28, 2022: Characteristics of Communities within 10 Miles and 30 miles Areas Refineries 
November 29, 2021: Texas Cancer Registry data on Deer Park
To find data about cancer in Deer Park, Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) asked its facilitator to search the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and also to summarize studies previously conducted for the community-industry forum by the state health department. Recent cancer statistics on Deer Park were not found, but data comparing Texas to other…
Read MoreOctober 25, 2021– Two Topics: Status of Shell Refinery Sale; Factors Researchers Consider When Trying to Find Cancer Cause
Shell Deer Park General Manager (GM) Guy Hackwell updated the CAC on the current status of the sale of the refinery to joint venture partner Pemex. Scott Malm, Ph.D., a Project Toxicologist with the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), spoke about cancer and factors researchers consider when trying to find a cause for cancer.
Read MoreAugust 23, 2021–Learn How Plants Protect Workers That Make or Handle Chemicals Like BTEX
Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) planned to continue a series of meetings related to what are called “the BTEX chemicals” but changed their late August agenda to add reports on an August 15 event at the Lubrizol Deer Park plant that released a pungent odor that slowly traveled through multiple communities and was a…
Read MoreMonday, September 28, 2020 – Covid 101
Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) members attended a virtual forum on COVID-19 in late September, with facts from a variety of public health sources presented by Rassull Suarez, MD, MPH, the Dow Chemical Health Services Physician Director. Dr. Suarez covered the Coronavirus’s risks, symptoms, transmission, testing, and how to protect oneself from exposure. Readers…
Read MoreMonday, June 1, 2020 – An Interim Report on COVID-19, Why Plants are Essential Businesses
When stay-at-home orders were issued in March, Deer Park’s chemical plants, refinery, and related businesses continued to operate because the chemical business is deemed a Critical Infrastructure Sector by the US Department of Homeland Security. At an early June video meeting, Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) community members asked each member plant to explain…
Read MoreMonday, February 24, 2020 – Process Safety Management: Managing Hazards to Reduce Frequency and Severity of Incidents
Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) focused on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program called Process Safety Management (PSM) at its late February meeting, 28 years to the day that the program became effective. PSM is a uniform set of rules for specific industries to safely manage the use, storage, manufacturing, handling, or…
Read MoreFebruary 25, 2019: Health Impacts of Living in Industrialized Areas Like Deer Park
DPCAC Discusses Health Effects in Industrial Communities Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) recently heard about the stresses on health that may occur in a town with chemical plants and refineries. Kelsey-Seybold’s Dr. Victor Simms said that exposure to pollutants in the environment may impact health. Though air quality has improved over the last 10…
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